71% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people were living in homes that were rented, a decrease from 2002 (77%)

20% of young people were living in a home with a mortgage, an increase from 2002 (14%).

Having stability in housing and tenure may have an impact on individual wellbeing as frequent moves due to unstable tenure may be associated with poorer educational and social outcomes for children. Tenure type influences the likelihood of moving house, with children and young people whose parents are home owners being much less likely to move than those living in other tenure types (Endnote 1).

The type of housing tenure that people live under is strongly linked to life stage. Therefore, younger people are less likely to have accumulated enough assets to be able to purchase their own property. The life stage of a young person's parents or guardians will also affect their housing tenure.For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the location in which they live may also affect their housing tenure, with limited types of housing and tenure available in remote areas of Australia.

In 2008, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people most commonly lived in homes that were:

(a) 2008 NATSISS landlord type data should be used with caution, seeEndnote 2 for more detail.(b) Difference between 0–14 and 15–24 years age group is not statistically significant.Source: 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey

Between 2002 and 2008 there was an increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth living in homes with a mortgage (up from 14% in 2002 to 20% in 2008). Over the same period there was a decline in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth living in rented housing (down from 77% in 2002 to 71% in 2008).

Tenure type isassociated with other factors that affect the wellbeing of children and young people. For example, children and youth living in housing that was owned with a mortgage were significantly more likely than those living in housing rented from a state or territory housing authority to be in excellent or very good health (77% compared with 67%).

In addition, youth living in housing rented from a state or territory housing authority were more likely to have experienced high/very high levels of psychological distress (36%), when compared with youth living in homes that were owned with or without a mortgage (23%). Youth living in housing rented from a state or territory housing authority were also much more likely than those living in housing owned with a mortgage to smoke on a daily basis (48% compared with 19%).

1. Dockery A. M., et al., 2010, 'Housing and children's development and wellbeing: a scoping study', Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute <www.ahuri.edu.au>.

2. Due to changes in collection methodology across surveys, 2008 NATSISS landlord type estimates (for renters) may overestimate ‘Private and other renters’ and underestimate those renting from 'State and Territory housing authorities' and 'Indigenous housing organisations'. Estimates should be used with caution, particularly when examining changes over time.